APPRENTICESHIPS

Apprenticeships

Anyone can be an Apprentice as long as they are aged over 16, live in England and not in full time education. For many, Apprenticeships are the first step onto a career ladder which can then take them as far as they want to go in their chosen career.

Discover how apprenticeships work for businesses who pays the Apprenticeship Levy (i.e. those with a wage bill over £3m). To find out how apprenticeships could work for your organisation visit A Guide to Apprenticeships

First of all, disregard all of the stereotypes that you have previously heard about Apprenticeships. An Apprenticeship first and foremost is an excellent route into a career. Apprenticeships allow people to earn whilst they learn and train for a career, gaining structured qualifications whilst acquiring valuable work experience.

There’s a stereotype that Apprenticeships are only obtainable in manual trades like construction or hairdressing, but in reality you can now do an Apprenticeship in almost any job role. Over 1,200 to be exact. From social media, marketing to business administration and beauty therapy, you will find Apprentices virtually anywhere. From multi-national organisations to small local companies and everywhere in-between. Already, more than 130,000 employers offer Apprenticeships.

There are three types of Apprenticeships:

1. Intermediate Level Apprenticeship

Apprentices work towards nationally recognised vocational qualifications at Level 2 and, in some cases, a relevant knowledge based qualification such as a BTEC. They also improve their skills in Maths, English and ICT at the appropriate level. These provide the skills apprentices need for their chosen career and allow entry to an Advanced Level Apprenticeship.

2. Advanced Level Apprenticeship

Advanced apprentices work towards nationally recognised vocational qualifications at Level 3 and, in most cases, a relevant knowledge based certificate such as a BTEC. They also improve their skills in Maths, English and ICT at the appropriate level. To start this programme, apprentices should ideally have five GCSEs (grade C or above) or have completed an Intermediate Level Apprenticeship.

3. Higher Apprenticeship

Higher level apprentices work towards nationally recognised qualifications at Levels 4 or 5 and, in some cases, a knowledge based qualification such as a Foundation Degree.

In the below video, Apprenticeships – Our 2020 Vision, the National Apprenticeship Service outlines its plans to get more people to recognise the value of the vocational training route.

Its aims will help achieve the government’s plans to create three million apprenticeship starts by 2020.

“Our vision for the future is to encourage individuals to get involved in this high-quality path to a successful career, by providing training in a professional or technical route, from work placements, traineeships and apprenticeships right up to degree level, with opportunities suitable for every young person and every employer,” the NAS says in the film.

“As part of the Government’s apprenticeship reform programme all Apprenticeship Frameworks will be phased out by the start of 2020/2021 academic year. Instead, new Apprenticeship Standards are being introduced. Apprenticeships Standards are focused on quality learning with a single End Point Assessment, and are developed by the employers and industry experts, in conjunction with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.”